react-esbuild

3.4.9 verified Fri May 01 auth: no javascript maintenance

A CLI tool to scaffold React projects using esbuild as the bundler, similar to Create React App (CRA) but significantly faster due to esbuild and SWC transpilation. Current version 3.4.9 supports Node.js 16+. It generates a minimal React template with built-in development server, production builds, environment variable support (REACT_APP_ prefix), and testing via jest. Released sporadically, last update in 2023. Differentiators: extreme speed (milliseconds), lightweight alternative to CRA, optional bun runtime support, and ES5 transpilation via SWC. Not actively maintained.

Common errors

error bun: command not found ↓

cause Bun not installed or not in PATH.

fix

Install bun via powershell -c 'irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex' (Windows) or curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash (macOS/Linux).

error Error: Cannot find module 'react-esbuild' ↓

cause Running the command without installing the package or using npx correctly.

fix

Run npx react-esbuild@latest [my-app] instead of node react-esbuild.

error unsupported Node.js version ↓

cause Node.js version lower than 16.

fix

Upgrade Node.js to version 16 or later.

Warnings

gotcha Environment variables must have REACT_APP_ prefix and are accessed directly (e.g., REACT_APP_MY_VAR), not via process.env. ↓

fix Define vars in .env with REACT_APP_ prefix; use as global variable without process.env.

gotcha bunx may use a cached old version; delete bun temp cache to force latest. ↓

fix On Windows delete C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Temp\react-esbuild; on Linux rm -rf ~/.bun and reinstall bun.

deprecated The package is not actively maintained; last release in 2023. Consider using Vite or Next.js for modern React projects. ↓

fix Migrate to a more actively maintained tool like Vite (npm create vite@latest) or Next.js.

gotcha Global installation via npm i react-esbuild -g may conflict with npx versions. ↓

fix Use npx react-esbuild@latest [project-name] to ensure latest version without global install.

Install

npm install react-esbuild

yarn add react-esbuild

pnpm add react-esbuild

Imports

react-esbuild CLI
wrong
```
npm install react-esbuild --save
```
correct
```
npx react-esbuild@latest my-app
```
This is a CLI tool, not a library. Install globally or use npx/bunx.
REACT_APP_* env variables
wrong
```
console.log(process.env.REACT_APP_MY_VAR)
```
correct
```
console.log(REACT_APP_MY_VAR)
```
Environment variables are injected directly as globals by esbuild, not via process.env.

test setup

wrong

const { render, screen } = require('@testing-library/react')

correct

import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'

Uses ESM imports by default. CommonJS require may fail depending on project configuration.

Quickstart

Scaffold a new React project with esbuild, install dependencies, and start the dev server.

npx react-esbuild@latest my-react-app
cd my-react-app
npm install
npm run start-js